Senior Counsel · Investor Protection · Preventive Law

Senior Legal Strategy
for Foreign Investors
in Costa Rica.

Falcon Consultants is a boutique Costa Rican law firm for foreign investors — senior-level counsel focused on protecting your investment before problems arise, with the personal, hands-on attention that large firms simply cannot give.

Led by an attorney, business owner and former elected municipal official — someone who operates in the same Costa Rica you’re investing in, and knows how to find the way out.

Direct senior attorneyEnglish & SpanishBoutique attentionCrypto & digital assets

25+
Years of Practice
2
Senior Partners
5
Regions Served
Costa Rica — Strategic Investment Country
75+ years of democracy · Full foreign ownership rights
No capital gains tax on most real estate · Stable legal system
Jacó · Garabito Santa Ana · San José Guanacaste Foreign Investors Welcome
Colegio de Abogados de Costa Rica
Licensed Notary Public
25+ Years of Practice
Foreign Investment Advisory
Real Estate & Corporate Law
falconcr@pm.me
+506 8876-1605
Preventive Counsel

The most expensive problems
are usually preventable.

The right counsel before a decision is worth far more than the best lawyer after a problem. Our work is built around protecting you at every stage — before money moves, not after it is lost.

I
Before you buy
Verify ownership, title, liens, zoning, permits and hidden risks before committing any funds.
II
Before you sign
Structure contracts to protect money, timing, remedies and closing conditions under Costa Rican law.
III
Before you transfer funds
Prepare banking, compliance and source-of-funds documentation before any money moves.
IV
Before you build
Confirm municipal, environmental, construction and operational requirements before any development begins.
V
After closing
Annual corporate maintenance, permit renewals, regulatory compliance and continued advisory as your investment grows.
Our Commitment

Your investment.
Our full attention.

At a large firm you are one file among hundreds. With us, every engagement receives direct senior-attorney attention — when you retain Falcon, you retain the attorney, not a file number.

We have resolved problems that larger firms could not, and built solutions that did not exist in this market.

Your Side Only

An advocate who answers
only to you.

You don’t have to replace your current lawyers to work with us. Keep them. We step in alongside them as your independent business and investment advisor — the person whose only job is to protect your interests, coordinate with your existing counsel as equals, and make sure nothing moves against you.

01
Keep your own counsel. We complement your lawyers — we don’t displace them.
02
One loyalty: you. Independent oversight for investors who want a second set of eyes — especially those who no longer fully trust their advisors.
03
Peer-level coordination. We engage other attorneys, notaries and counterparties at the same level, purely in your interest.
Practice Areas

Legal services for foreign investors
throughout Costa Rica.

01

Real Estate & Due Diligence

Title review, purchase agreements, closings, registry analysis, liens, zoning, maritime zone issues and property risk review before any funds are committed.

02

Corporate & Business Law

Company formation, governance, shareholder agreements, business acquisitions, commercial contracts and corporate compliance for foreign-owned operations.

03

Administrative, Municipal & Permits

Representation before municipalities, public institutions, SETENA and regulatory bodies. Permit resolution, construction licenses and administrative processes.

04

Digital Assets, Crypto & Licensing

Crypto-to-real-estate via US MSB licensed OTC, AML and formal escrow — plus company formation, licensing and data-processing structures for digital-asset, fintech and online businesses establishing in Costa Rica.

05

Residency & Immigration

Legal support for Pensionado, Rentista, Inversionista, digital nomad and other immigration pathways under applicable Costa Rican law.

06

Problem Resolution & Exit Strategies

Legal and commercial strategies for troubled investments, failed partnerships, municipal conflicts, blocked projects and contract breaches.

Beyond the statutes: because our managing partner owns and operates businesses in Jacó, clients get advice grounded in how permits, payroll, suppliers and local institutions actually work on the ground — not just how they read on paper.

US MSB Licensed OTC · Formal Escrow · Company Formation & Licensing

A compliant bridge between
digital assets and Costa Rica.

For investors holding cryptocurrency — and for digital-asset, fintech, payments, data-processing and online-technology businesses that want to establish, license or operate legally from Costa Rica — Falcon provides a fully documented, compliant path, built and supervised by senior counsel and never improvised. This is one of our most active practice areas, and we are genuinely good at it.

For crypto investors

Move digital assets into Costa Rican real estate or business — cleanly, legally and fully protected on both sides of the transaction.

US-registered MSB (FinCEN) — institutional crypto-to-USD OTC desk
Full AML and source-of-funds documentation
Formal Costa Rica escrow (Geldstück and equivalents)
Simultaneous buyer and seller protection at closing

For digital-asset, tech & online businesses

Senior legal support to establish, license and operate crypto, virtual-asset, payments, data-processing and online-technology ventures from Costa Rica — and for the international firms and advisors who serve them.

Company formation, licensing structures and registered-agent support
Data-processing and technology-company structures under Costa Rican law
Virtual-asset, payments and online-business compliance and governance
Cross-border coordination with foreign firms, advisors and partners
Banking access and source-of-funds documentation

Where a standard route doesn’t exist, we find the legal structure that does. Resourceful, fully compliant solutions — alternative pathways for complex, cross-border and digital-first businesses that other firms turn away.

Subject to individual evaluation and applicable US and Costa Rican law, AML and regulatory requirements. Financial services provided through a separately licensed US MSB; legal services by Falcon Consultants.

When Things Have Already Gone Wrong

When your Costa Rica investment
needs a way forward.

Costa Rica is easy to enter and hard to leave — easy to put money in, far harder to take it out. Some of our most consequential work begins after a problem has already occurred: we evaluate, diagnose and build the strategy that protects your position and creates a way out.

—
Property with title defects, liens or ownership disputes
—
Business acquisition with hidden liabilities or undisclosed problems
—
Municipal, construction or environmental permit conflicts
—
Bank accounts or funds blocked by compliance requirements
—
Failed partnerships, breached contracts or stalled developments

We evaluate. We diagnose.
We build the path forward.

Falcon’s background in Costa Rican administrative, municipal and regulatory matters allows us to guide clients through institutional processes with strategic clarity, credibility and procedural discipline. We do not promise shortcuts — we provide strategy, documentation, negotiation and legal representation.

Legal Problem SolvingExit StrategiesConflict ResolutionNegotiationsAdministrative Law
Where We Work

Where Costa Rica’s real opportunity
— and its real risk — lives.

We work across the country’s highest-value investment zones — from established offices in Jacó and Santa Ana to active focus along Guanacaste, the South Pacific and the Southern Zone. These are the coastlines where foreign capital concentrates, and where the most expensive mistakes are made.

Primary Office
Jacó · Central Pacific
Our base in Garabito, at the heart of the Central Pacific investment and tourism market.
JacóHerraduraLos SueñosEsterillos
Office
Santa Ana · Central Valley
Serving corporate clients and foreign nationals across the greater San José area.
Santa AnaEscazúPozosSan José
Region Served · Active Focus
Guanacaste · Gold Coast
One of Costa Rica’s fastest-growing destinations for resort, real estate and foreign investment.
TamarindoFlamingoNosaraPapagayo
Region Served
South Pacific · Uvita
The Costa Ballena corridor — high-growth coastline drawing international buyers and developers.
UvitaDominicalOjochalCosta Ballena
Region Served
Southern Zone · Osa
Emerging frontier for land, eco-development and long-horizon investment in the deep south.
OsaSierpeGolfitoPavones
Local Roots · Costa Rica

An attorney who doesn’t just advise.
He operates in Costa Rica.

Falcon’s managing partner, Ernesto Alfaro Conde, also owns and operates three hospitality venues in Jacó. For foreign clients investing or relocating in Jacó and Garabito, this is the difference between advice from a desk and advice from someone who lives the same permits, payroll and local reality every day.

Owned & Operated
3
Hospitality venues in Jacó

Three dining and hospitality businesses owned and operated directly — real ownership in the same local economy his clients are entering.

On The Ground
Permits, payroll & suppliers

First-hand command of how a business in Costa Rica actually runs day to day — municipal permits, labor, vendors, seasons and cash flow.

Skin In The Game
He invests where you invest

Advice from someone who has put his own capital into the market and made it work — not theory from a distant office.

“A lawyer who doesn’t only advise — he successfully runs businesses in the same place you’re investing.”

The Attorneys

Senior attorneys.
Personal attention. Strategic judgment.

Ernesto Alfaro Conde, Senior and Managing Partner, Falcon Consultants
Ernesto Alfaro Conde
Senior & Managing Partner · Attorney & Strategic Advisor
Senior & Managing Partner · Strategic Advisor · Foreign Investment Counsel

Costa Rican attorney with 25+ years of practice focused on real estate, corporate law, administrative law, municipal matters, foreign investment advisory and strategic problem-solving. Ernesto personally leads every complex engagement.

As an attorney, a business owner and a former elected municipal official, Ernesto brings a rare 360° view of how Costa Rica actually works — legally, commercially and institutionally. That combination lets him anticipate where investors get blocked and navigate the country’s institutions, municipalities and processes legitimately and effectively. He also oversees the firm’s digital-asset and crypto-to-real-estate capability when a client’s funds require it.

Beyond the firm, Ernesto is also a business owner in Jacó — he owns and operates three hospitality venues in town. Running real businesses on the ground gives him first-hand knowledge of municipal permits, payroll, suppliers and how the local economy actually works — the same terrain his foreign clients invest in.

Real EstateCorporate LawAdministrative LawDigital AssetsNegotiationsForeign InvestmentBusiness Owner
Meet Ernesto Alfaro Conde
Licda. Karina Aguilar Quesada, Senior Partner and Notary Public, Falcon Consultants
Licda. Karina Aguilar Q.
Senior Partner · Notary Public & Corporate Director
Senior Partner · General Director, Notarial & Corporate

Attorney and Notary Public with 25+ years of experience in corporate structuring, real estate closings, public instruments, notarial services and legal documentation for international clients throughout Costa Rica.

Karina leads the firm’s Notarial and Corporate Department, overseeing deed execution and public registry matters. For crypto-funded transactions, Karina executes the notarial closing once funds clear escrow — ensuring every deed is clean, documented and registry-ready.

Notarial ServicesCorporate StructuringReal Estate ClosingsCrypto ClosingsCorporate Governance
Common Questions

Straight answers,
before you invest.

Can I buy property in Costa Rica with cryptocurrency?+
Yes. Falcon Consultants operates a complete crypto-to-real-estate platform backed by a US Money Services Business (MSB) license. The process: OTC conversion of crypto to USD, full AML documentation, transfer to Costa Rica through formal escrow, and notarial deed execution. Both buyer and seller are protected. Subject to individual evaluation and applicable US and Costa Rican law.
How does the Falcon crypto escrow platform work?+
Step 1: US OTC desk (registered MSB, FinCEN) converts your crypto to USD. Step 2: Full AML and source-of-funds documentation. Step 3: Clean USD transferred to Costa Rica through formal escrow (including Geldstück). Step 4: Escrow holds funds until contract conditions are met, then releases payment to seller. Step 5: Falcon notarial team executes the deed under Costa Rican law. Result: clean, documented, legally protected transaction for both parties.
Can I set up or license a crypto, data-processing or online business in Costa Rica?+
Yes — this is one of our most active areas. We help digital-asset, fintech, payments, data-processing and online-technology companies establish, structure and license operations in Costa Rica legally and compliantly: company formation, registered-agent support, governance, banking and cross-border coordination. Where a standard route doesn’t fit, we build a compliant alternative. Subject to individual evaluation and applicable law.
Do foreigners need a lawyer to buy property in Costa Rica?+
Yes. Foreign buyers should use qualified legal counsel before purchasing property to verify title, ownership, liens, restrictions, permits, zoning and risks. Proceeding without legal representation significantly increases the risk of acquiring a property with undetected legal defects.
Can foreigners own property in Costa Rica?+
Foreigners can generally own titled property under similar principles as Costa Rican citizens, subject to proper due diligence and special rules for maritime zone and restricted areas. Each purchase should be individually reviewed by qualified counsel.
What does a real estate lawyer review before closing in Costa Rica?+
Title, ownership history, liens, mortgages, registry status, cadastral plans, zoning, permits, taxes, corporate ownership structure, seller authority and purchase agreement terms. For crypto transactions, Falcon also prepares the full AML and source-of-funds documentation package.
Can Falcon Consultants help with Costa Rica residency?+
Yes. Falcon provides legal support for pensionado, rentista, inversionista, digital nomad and other residency pathways, subject to applicable Costa Rican laws and individual circumstances.
What if my Costa Rica investment is already in trouble?+
Request a confidential legal diagnosis. Falcon reviews documents, identifies legal risks and obligations, evaluates available remedies and builds a strategic path forward to protect your position.
Does Falcon work throughout Costa Rica?+
Yes. Falcon supports clients throughout Costa Rica — Central Valley, Central Pacific, Guanacaste, Uvita and the Southern Zone, Limón and the Caribbean Coast. The crypto platform is available in all regions.
Contact & Consultation

Schedule a
strategic consultation.

If you are going to invest in Costa Rica, the best decision you can make is retaining the right counsel first. We bring the years of experience, preparation and local judgment to direct your legal, negotiation and administrative needs from day one. All consultations are confidential and privileged — and you speak directly with a senior attorney, in English, from the first call.

Primary Office
Jacó, Garabito, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Metropolitan Office
Santa Ana, Pozos, San José, Costa Rica
Email
falconcr@pm.me
WhatsApp & Phone
+506 8876-1605
Languages
English & Spanish
Approach
Preventive counsel · Direct senior-partner attention

All inquiries are confidential. Submission does not create an attorney-client relationship. Representation begins only after Falcon Consultants accepts the matter and a formal engagement agreement is signed. Crypto and financial services subject to individual evaluation and applicable US and Costa Rican law.